Link, the Gerudo King
by Azulira
Summary: It is said that the Gerudo people are cursed to have one male born every century, if even that. A son has been born to the Gerudo clan, and he shall become their King. King Link, the honest and fair ruler of the Gerudo people, shall deliver his people from the pain and loss they have endured for centuries, no matter the personal cost.
1. Chapter 1

A woman that seemed vaguely Gerudo, with bright red hair and skin that was the darker than the average Hylian's, sat beside two other women. She was looking at the one whose hair could have been the fields of Hyrule, seemingly wishing to start a conversation. The third woman, who's hair rivalled the brilliant hue of Lake Hylia, decided to open up the conversation, "Din, you've been staring. Is there something on your mind?"

The Gerudo like woman, Din, sighed, answering, "I know this kind of flies in the face of what we usually do, but I was hoping, maybe, Power and Courage could switch places."

The green haired woman looked confused, "What do you mean by 'switch places?' You want us to direct... his spirit into Courage this time?"

"No!" Din quickly proclaimed, flustered, "No, I still want him in Power." Her words seemed to cause a frown on the face of the blue haired woman, though Din didn't notice. "What I mean," she continued, "Is that I'd like to have Power be a Hylian this time around, and for Courage to be a Gerudo."

The green haired one seemed unsure, and turned to the blue haired one, "I don't know, it's so unusual. Should we, Nayru?

"I don't see why we couldn't," the one now known as Nayru answered, "and it would be interesting to see."

Din smiled as the the green haired woman nodded and spoke, "Alright, the next Gerudo King will bear the Triforce of Courage and the Spirit of the Hero."

"Farore," Nayru spoke to the green haired woman, "Can you leave Din and I for a moment? I wish to still talk to her."

Farore nodded, slipping out of the room. "I know what you want to talk to me about," Din spoke, "It's about... him, isn't it?"

"Din, it's unhealthy to hold on this long, he betrayed you!" Nayru exclaimed.

"I know," she answered quietly, "I know Nayru. I know he was evil. I know he betrayed me. I've known that since the moment he did so. I know I probably should have seen it coming, but I didn't. I was an idiot, okay? Is that what you want to hear?" Din's voice was escalating with her anger, "I, Din, the Goddess of Power, was an idiot in love. I am not as smart as my sister Nayru, the fucking Goddess of Wisdom! I was in love with the Demon King Demise, and he betrayed me and I know that! I know I was a damn fool! And I know I'm still a damn fool because I still feel for the bastard!"

Nayru, as kindly as she could, wrapped her arms around her sister, enveloping her in a tight embrace. "It's alright Din," she murmured softly, "It's alright. Everything's going to be ok, I promise." With these words, Din broke down into sobs, clutching her sister tightly.

"I don't know why I still feel like this for him," Din whispered through her sobs, "I shouldn't feel anything but contentment for what he did to us, to Hylia, to the land we created. But I feel something more than hatred. Nayru, it hurts."

"I know," Nayru said, "It's ok, it's supposed to hurt. But eventually, it will stop hurting, and you'll be able to let him go, ok?" Din sniffled, and nodded. "Ok," Nayru spoke, "let's go get ready for the reincarnation." With that, she led Din quietly out of the room.

A young gerudo woman sat in a chair, watching as night descended upon the desert. She knew that soon, a bitter cold would sneak upon her home. She made her way outdoors, feeling the still warm sand beneath her bare feet. She tired quickly, resting in the middle of town. "You're due soon, aren't you?" asked a woman just barely out of her line of sight.

"Why yes," she answered the woman, "how did you know?" As she asked, she turned around to look at the woman, who wore a cloak that revealed only her lower face.

"I've been watching you, for a while," the woman answered simply.

This set the soon to be mother on edge, "Who are you? I can see you aren't Gerudo, and no mortal could easily observe the Gerudo."

"Well," answered the cloaked figured, "there are the Sheikah. They're quite sneaky."

"The dogs of Hyrule's royal family? As if they would dare set foot on our land. Despite so easily giving life and limb for the fools running Hyrule, they are not so stupid. Try again," she commanded, growing easy.

The cloaked woman sighed with a half laugh, "Very well, Chea of the Gerudo," she responded, removing her cowl, revealing, well, not very much. Save her green hair, she had no truly distinctive features to separate her from the average Hylian. "I am Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Your people worship my sister, Din, though you know her as the Goddess of Sand.* I am here to give you news."

"Goddess of Winds," Chea spoke with a reverent, if fearful, tone, "I did not mean to seem so angry with you," her next words were muttered so quickly, the goddess could barely hear.

"It's alright, Chea, I understand. Pregnancy can make one more emotional than usual," Farore calmed the Gerudo woman.

"Goddess of Winds, why is it that you have come to bear news to me, and not the Goddess of Sands?" Chea questioned.

"It is about the child you are soon to bear, your son," she said, which caused delighted gasps from the Gerudo, "Yes," Farore spoke before the woman could question her, "The child you now carry within you will become the next king of your people. He will be a righteous king, kind to his people, unlike other kings in the past."

Chea looked down at this, "I know of the king you speak of, King Ganondorf. He bore a piece of Hyrule' sacred relic, and it corrupted him, driving him to darkness."

"No," Farore shook her head, "Lord Ganondorf was not corrupted by the Triforce of Power, as it is known in Hyrule. Millenia, even eons ago, when the world was still fresh, a great demon king arose, and attempted to devour the soul of a goddess, but was stopped by the chosen hero of that goddess. With the last of his strength, the demon king cursed the world, that so long as the goddess's blood flowed through mortal veins, and so long as the Spirit of the Hero remained unbroken, that an incarnation of his hatred would appear to bring their land to darkness. It was this hatred that hid inside Lord Ganondorf."

"My son," Chea suddenly became worried, "will he bears this darkness?"

"No, that is the reason I come to you. I have come to you to tell you your son will bear the Spirit of the Hero, and will be destined to destroy the darkness threatening his kingdom and that of Hyrule. He will also come to bear the Triforce of Courage to help him with this task," Farore spoke, informing Chea of her son's fate.

"Oh," Chea spoke, stunned.

"I shall leave you now, Chea of the Gerudo, though do not despair, your son will survive whatever challenge he faces, for he bears an unbreakable spirit."

It was a week later when Chea gave birth, and indeed it was a son, much to the surprise of the midwife. She whispered to the others, and within moments, voices rang through the Gerudo village. "The King is born!" they shouted, as Chea was handed her child. "What's his name?" The midwife asked her.

Chea stared down at her child, smiling despite what she knew fate had in store for him. "Gano... no, not that," Chea said, quickly backing off. Her child would give the Gerudo a new reputation, and cleanse their past of the blood that name had caused. "My child shall be named Link!" she declared, "And he will be a fair and righteous king!" She held her child close, and whispered, "My son, the most courageous king of the Gerudo."

*My reason to believe Din is the Goddess of Sand is as follows: If I'm not mistaken, it is said that Din created the earth on which all living creatures would live. Sand is a type of Earth. In addition, the Gerudo are a powerful people, overcoming severe hardship in order to survive.


	2. Chapter 2

"Link!" shouted Chea, "Get up!" She shook her head as she muttered, "Lazy brat," with a light chuckle. Soon, she heard the footsteps of her teenage son. He had long, thick red hair, which was pulled up into a high ponytail. He was, very much so, a Gerudo. Though there was one thing besides gender, that set him apart from the rest of his tribe. His gaze was piercing blue, like the sky just before evening. Chea often joked that 'his father must have been the god of blue eyes.'

He yawned as Chea sat a plate at the table for him. "I made your favorite, a Zora omelet. Made with real cucoo eggs and fish only found in Lake Hylia." She turned around, making her own plate as she continued, "Today is an important day, my little king, so you need a lot of energy. Though I want you to savor the meal, fish is rare..." she stopped speaking as she turned around. His omelet was hald gone already. Link slowly took his fork out of his mouth, and chewed once, very carefully. Chea sighed, "You really shouldn't eat so fast, you know. You'll make yourself sick."

"Sorry," he whispered after swallowing his bite, embarrased. "Today is the day I finally get a real weapon, right?"

Chea sighed again, "Yes, but more importantly, today is the day you are officially crowned king. Then, you get your sword. I heard you drove the Smithing Sisters mad, asking for such an unusual sword. Where'd you even get the idea for such a blade?"

"When Aunt Nadia came back from one of her trips to Hyrule, escorted by that kind soldier. He kept to either Nadia's home or the practice yard mostly," Link explained, "Sometimes, when Aunt Nadia came and got him, he left really quick and left his equipment behind. I got curious, and started practicing with his sword. It just... fit me better than the Gerudo practice swords." Link thought for a moment, "Though one day, he caught me with his sword. He was nice about it though, and he taught me this really cool move!"

Chea smiled, her son always got so excited when it came to fighting. "Oh?" She asked, "Well, maybe you'll get to see that kind soldier again, and he can show you a few more tricks."

"Hmm?" Link questioned.

"Oh, I hadn't told you? Right after you're corronated, we're going to Hyrule, to meet their king," Chea said casually, taking a bite of her own omelet as she watched Link's face light up. "I'm sure they have plenty of swordsmen there that you can learn from," she said kindly, before continuing in a casual tone, "though if you take their weapons, I'll use it to tan your backside, got it?" She was, obviously, miffed, that her own son had been playing with weapons that weren't his. Link nodded stiffly out of fear, nearly choking on the last of his omelet. "Good, now go get your sword from Aunt Danah, then head to the temple. You don't want to be late to your own coronation, do you?" She asked.

Link nodded, rushing out of his home, and down the street. He waved hello to his fellow Gerudo, and the occasional Hylian man who'd been convinced to come visit the Gerudo for a bit. He quickly found his way to the Smithing Sister's establishment, one of the best forges of the modern age, rival to that of the Gorons of Death Mountain. He entered, calling out, "Hello, Aunt Danah, it's me, Link!"

"Ah, Link" an older Gerudo woman answered. "Has the soon to be king come for his sword?" Link nodded, smiling, and the elderly lady returned the smile, before she set her face to stone. "80 rupees, please and thank you," she said, much to Link's utter shock.

As soon as she grinned, Link saw through her charade. "Oh, it's you Aunt Ganah," he said with an amused gasp of relief, "Where's Aunt Danah?"

"She's in the back room, putting on the final touches. She'll be out in a minute. But before she does, I'd like to give you a special gift," she revealed. She walked to a chest, rummaging about before pulling out something. "Close your eyes, Link, it's a surprise," she said.

"The last time you told me that, it took three weeks for my eyebrows to grow back," Link responded, shutting his eyes anyway.

Ganah chuckled, "It was quite the sight to see you run away from a Fiery Keese, considering you could of just doused it with water from the spring. Anyway, this won't hurt you. Probably."

She laid something that was somewhat weighty in his palms. He opened his eyes, and his eyes widened at the sight of a shield. "Ganah, I didn't know you made shields!" he exclaimed. Shields were a rare sight to the Gerudo, who relied on their agility in fights.

"Old dogs can learn new tricks, Link. You're looking at the one and only Gerudo shield. With a sword like yours, you'll need a shield," Ganah responded.

A moment later, another elderly Gerudo came into the door, "Ah, Link," she said, "I remember when you were a little, tiny child, crying in your mother's arms. And now here you are, getting your very first weapon from me. It makes me feel older than I am. A sixty year old shouldn't feel like she's eighty, so you better leave before you make me feel a hundred," she chuckled.

"Sister," Link heard from Ganah as he left, "we are eighty." He chuckled, imagining Danah's response, 'You might be.' He turned at the nearest corner, heading towards the center of the village, where the temple lay. He stood outside the towering structure for a moment, staring up at it.

"Hurry up and go inside!" Someone shouted from his side.

He turned to his side, and smiled, "Leah! Why are you here?" He asked.

"It's mandatory," she responded, "that there's at least one witness for your annointment."

"Uh, oh, yeah, that's right annointment," Link said, pretending to understand.

"I'm here to make sure the goddesses bless you as king," she explained. When he still looked confused, she elaborated further, "I'm here to make sure you don't fuck up." As she said this, Link made a small noise of understanding. He then smiled, and walked into the temple. "It's dark," Leah observed as the door shut behind her.

Link nodded, "It's a test, probably," he spoke, then began walking forward. As he stepped on a certain spot, a stream of fire flew up in front of his face, illuminating the area for a brief moment, before he jumped back. Then, he heard a scuttling noise. "We're not alone, are we?"

"Oh relax," she said, "it's only a few skulltulas probably." To prove her wrong, something flapped its wings rather loudly, to which she responded, "And Keese, skulltulas and keese."

Link sighed, "I need to kill them, don't I?"

"And," Leah nodded, "you should probably avoid lighting the keese on fire. The king should probably be coronated with eyebrows."

"One time!" Link exclaimed, suddenly whacking something with his new blade. The skulltula let out a surprised cry, and Link struck again. After a moment, he heard a strange popping noise, and tried to whack at the skulltula again, only to hit another pressure plate, letting out a jet of fire just in time to ignite a keese. "Of course," he groaned, to Leah's delighted giggling. He quickly smacked it away, and managed to hit a skulltula with it, killing both of them.

"Having fun?" Leah questioned, as Link was bitten in the leg by a skulltula. He let out a pained grunt, to which Leah responded, "Yep, sounds like fun."

As he shook the skulltula off his leg, he asked, "Why is it none of them are attaking you?" He slashed at the skulltula returning to bite him, and raised his shield with his other hand to block a keese.

"Magic," she answered, watching him bash a skulltula with his shield as he batted a keese out of the air with his sword. He growled, as multiple keese flocked to him. He decided to try the technique he had learned from the kind soldier. He swung his blade out to the side, pivoted on his lead foot, and swung back around with all the force he could muster, managing to spin around, knocking all the keese far away, killing each of them. Suddenly, as the last keese poofed into smoke, a green light shone down upon him from the other side of the room. "That's the symbol of the goddess of wind and courage, she gives you her blessing," Leah informed him, "You may enter the next room."

"Those keese were annoying," Link commented as he steeped through to the next room, this one brightly lit. This room held three switches, all equally plain, set in a triangle. Between them set three boxes of different size. Link simply stared, before getting an idea. He stepped on one pressure plate, and it sunk completely into the ground, he checked the other switches, one moving about halfway, the other one not budging at all. "It's a weight puzzle," he said simply.

Leah clapped slowly, "Congratulations," she mock praised him.

He rolled his eyes, " Obviously, the small one will weigh the least, and goes on the most easily pushed switch," he inferred. He walked over to it, and tried to lift it. He grunted with the effort, moving it an inch before giving up. "Well, obviously this is the heaviest, meaning the large is actually the lightest," he inferred, before pushing against the largest box. It moved somewhat quicker than the other box, and he had it on the switch, when an idea struck, "What if the medium box is the lightest?" Leah sighed, stepping back and pulling out a nail file.

Link moved to push the medium box, only to discover that yes, it was the lightest. He sighed, pushing the large box to the half way switchm and pushing the medium box onto the easily depressed switch. "How are you going to move the small one?" Leah asked, much to Link's despair. He studied it, before trying to flip it onto its end, with moderate success. However, he woudn't be able to do to many more times, so that wasnt a good option. He tried lifting it up with his shield, and manged to slide it a ways, certainly making the distance closer. His final attempt was to get on the ground and push it, which moved it to just off the switch. He sighed in relief,managing to flip it onto the switch.

The door alit with 3 circles, with crescents turned away from the center. "That," began Leah, "Is the symbol for the goddess of water and wisdom. She has blessed you, surprisingly." Link grumbled as Leah snickered. "Anyway, on to room three."

Link rolled his eyes, opening the door and walking through to the next room. The room was slightly darker than the previous room, though still much brighter than the first. "This is where I obtain the blessing from the sand goddess, right?" Link asked, hearing a sound of affirmation from Leah. He looked around the room, seeing nothing that hinted at his challenge. Regardless, he held his sword and shield at the ready. He took a step forward into the plan room, only to hear a loud noise, somewhat between a roar and a screech. He turned to his side, just in time to block a charging beast, which knocked him back. He got off the ground, staring at the creature. It was lizard like, but happened to be bipedial. He blocked it's clawed slash, retaliating with a sword swing.

"Link, that's a lizalfos," Leah informed as she watched Link duck behind his shield for cover, "They're actually very intelligent creatures, so don't let it get a hold of your sword." Link grunted, though wether it was because he understood her or because he was pushed back by the creature she couldn't say. The creature reared its head back, before spewing forth a jet of flame which Link barely managed to dodged. "Oh, yeah, they spit fire too."

"You could have mentioned that earlier, you know," Link grumbled, rolling forward to avoid getting clawed in the side. Leah laughed, presumably at him, and Link growled slighly, to show disapproval. He was very close to the lizalfos, and used this proximity to slice upwards across the creature's torso, before jumping away. The creature gave another one of its calls, rushing forward to slice at Link. Link blocked this attack by bashing at the creature with his shield, who jumped back in time to avoid getting smashed.

The creature reared it's head back, preparing another jet of flame, but Link intended to spoil his plans. Link rushed at the creature, managing to slice off a few scales from the creature's upper chest. After that, he knocked the creature down and stood above it, sword in both hands. He plunged the blade through the opening, and the creature gave a snarl, filled with grief at its own demise. The body evaporated into shadows, quickly dispersing as the red light from the symbol on the door alit. "The symbol of the goddess of sand, and power. Good job, Link. All three accept you as the true king of the Gerudo."

"Why do the monsters disappear when they die?" Link asked, staring at the air that had once been a hissing Lizalfos.

"I don't know," was Leah's answer, "It's best not to dwell on such trivial things anyway, my king." Link turned to look at her, an unamused look on his face. "You really shouldn't look at people that way, my king," she answered, and then grinned as Link grimaced at the term 'my king.' "Oh," she teased, "you don't like to be called 'my king?' How about Lord Link? No?" She noticed his frown, and continued, "Well what about 'my liege?'" Again, Link looked at her frowning, yet she persisted, "I know! I bet you want me to call you 'Master?' That seems like something you'd want." Link wore an embarrased, as well as shocked, face. Leah grinned, before approaching him.

"Master Link," he heard her whisper as his blush intensified, "Master Link, I want you to do something for me," she informed, twisting his pony tail around her finger. Link was thankful for the light of the sand goddess's symbol, which hid his now radiant blush, as Leah leaned into his ear and spoke gently. "Master Link, I want you," she paused for a moment, gripping his ponytail tightly and pulling his head back harshly, before talking loudly, "to get your mind out of the gutter and walk through the damn door!"

She let him go, and Link stood up straight, looking away from her in embarrasment. "You're a tease," he chided before walking towards the door, "You know that?"

Leah rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out and replieing, "I know." She grinned, pushing Link through the door. A simple pool awaited them on the other side, and Link walked towards it. As he bent down to touch the water, he heard something happen. Or rather, he didn't hear anything. He looked back at Leah, and she was still, like a statue. He poked her, but his finger didn't cause any depression in her skin.

"Greetings, young king," a voice said from the pool. Link whirled around to find himself face to face, well, actually, more like face to scantily clad giant chest, with a Great Fairy. He looked away, embarrased for the second time in the past few minutes. "Don't turn away, boy," she commanded, "It's been a while since the Gerudo have had a son. And the last one was a rather bad egg, to boot." She took his face between the tip of her forefinger and thumb, twisting it slowly, examining him. "I think," she concluded, "that you'll make a much better king than your predecessor. In fact, I'll present you with a gift, to prove that I acknowledge you as king."

"Thank you!" Link exclaimed, happy that such a powerful being approved of him. Beside the goddesses, the great fairies were some of the most powerful beings in existence. The great fairy reached beneath the water of her spring, pulling out a small pouch, which appeared to be dry. She dropped it into Link's hand, and he caught it, examining it. "It's finely made," he noted, "but why an empty pouch?"

The Great Fairy sighed, "It's magic. It'll let you carry a lot more than you'd normally be able to." Link nodded, and the Great Fairy added, "There's a trio of stones in there, also very magical. They allow people to talk and watch one another over great distances."

"That could come in handy," he noted, reaching into the bag, where his hand managed to grasp a round, blue stone, set in a necklace. He pulled it out, and put it on. "Thank you, Great Fairy."

"Oh, and one last word of advice, little king. Don't put rupees in there. Rupees radiate a stange magic, and are only properly contained in a wallet,*" she said, before disappearing back into the shallow water. Suddenly, he heard Leah move up behind him.

He turned around, looking at her as she spoke, "Did something just happen? And where'd you get that fancy necklace?" He looked to the spring, and suddenly her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "You met the Great Fairy, didn't you? And she gave you a gift! Wow, that's rare. I wish I could have seen it happen."

"Two, er actually, four gifts," he bragged, holding up the pouch

"Master Link," she teased him, "that's only one thing. Kings should be able to count, you know. One marriage offer from another country, two marriage offers from other countries, you know."

"You know that's not how Gerudo do things, Leah. And please don't call me that," he insisted.

"You're right, Master Link," she said, completely ignoring his request to cease with the new nickname, "One kidnapped bride, two kidnapped brides." She gigled at her own joke, even if it somewhat mocked her own people. Link sighed, reaching into his new pouch, pulling out the second of the three blue stones, placing it in her hands. "What's this, Master Link?"

"It's a magic stone, it lets people talk over long distances," he responded simply, walking past the spring. She looked at the stone in surprise, then dashed to catch up to Link, who was walking out the doors of the spring, and into the temple's inner sanctum.

Three priestess stood there, waiting for him. Simultaneously, each one stepped forward, surrounding him as he looked around. Leah stepped back, letting the priestesses do their work. A light began glowing above him, and he saw it was the noon sun, directly overhead. The platform began to raise, as the priestesses chanted in unison. Soon, he was staring out across half his home, and the entirety of his people, at least those that could make it in time to his coronation.

The ceremony was surprisingly simple, for the important weight it held. The eldest of his tribe gave a speech, speaking of the the Gerudo's past. She spared no details, admitting the Gerudo had done their fair share of evil, though it was under an evil king. She also spoke of the Gerudo's present, as good people, that do their best to survive. She then spoke of their future, under their new king, Link. She gave promises that as king, Link would do his best to support the Gerudo, to make sure their children, and their children's children, would grow up unthreatened by any force. That he would support his people through all their hardships. That he would be fair and honest with his people. And finally, that he would be a righteous king. Then, the crown of the Gerudo people was placed on Link's head, and he stood tall and proud.

"So, my lord, do you have a first decree?" The lady asked.

Link thought for a moment, then asked, "Well, does lunch count?" Those that heard him laughed, and soon, the entire crowd was roaring with laughter. So, in celebration of King Link's coronation, a feast was held.

*My own theory on as why you can only cary a certain number of rupees, even though they all appear to be the same size. Wallets are built to handle the rupee radiation.


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours had passed since his coronation, and the subsequent feast, yet already Link was being paraded off to meet Hyrule's royal family. He was rather excited, though not for the thrill and joy that politics _always_ induces. This was his first time, after all. He'd probably be doing nothing more than watching and learning, if any negotiations would happen at all. This was, to his understanding, more of an introductory event. "Do you think I'll get to meet a Zora?" Link asked, curious about the aquatic people.

"More than just a Zora, Link," Chea answered, "You'll meet several different kinds of people, and you have to be on your best behavior with all of them."

"I know," he answered, remembering the hundred other times she'd told him the exact same thing.

"I mean it, no goofing off or anything. You need to make a good impression," she said, trying to reinforce the lesson as much as she can. "You might be the king, but I can still take you over my knee, you know," she reminded.

"Mom," Link groaned in embarrassment, "I'm not a little kid, I know how to behave."

"I know, I know," Chea answered her son, "I just didn't know you knew," she joked, laughing. "Come on," she said, "It's about time we meet up with the caravan."

"Caravan?" Link questioned

"Yes Link, caravan. You're not the only one with business in Hyrule. We are trading partners with them, after all. You really should know this, as king," Chea admonished.

"My bad," Link apologized, following his mother out the door of their home. As they walked to the stables, he glanced at the palace, though quickly turned away. He knew that soon he would have to move into the foreboding building, but something about it always put him off. The only time he had been in there, he had felt nauseous and couldn't make it past the first room.

Link approached his horse, rubbing her uncharacteristically white mane. His horse, Epona, was odd compared to the Gerudo stallions and mares she was housed with. Whereas they had dark hair, with black manes, Epona's hair was chestnut, with a white mane. He didn't quite know how Epona came to be his horse, but he could tell she wasn't stolen. She was far too calm around the Gerudo for any of them to have horse-napped her.

He mounted her, riding to the gates that separated his people from the harsh desert. He was soon joined by his mother, as well as Leah. "You're joining us?" He asked, his attention focused on her new necklace, made with the stone he had given her.

"My eyes are up here," she jokingly admonished, holding up her necklace between her eyes.

"Hurry up you two," Chea said, having already left them behind. "Leah, I'm also curious as to why you're joining us. Care to tell?"

"Apparently," Leah said, riding her own horse beside Link, "Since I was witness to Master Link's coronation," she winked teasingly at Link as she said this, "I'm to be one of his advisors."

"Ah, I'd forgotten all about that," Link's mother admitted.

Link spoke up, "Hey Leah, didn't one of your ancestors witness the coronation of the last king too?"

"Yep," she answered as the caravan came into sight, "that would be Nabooru. My mother says she was also a Sage, and helped the hero defeat Ganondorf."

"We should make it to Hyrule Field before nightfall," Chea switched the subject, "If we make good time, we might even make it to Kakariko.*"

"Kakariko?" Link asked.

"It's the second largest town in Hyrule," Chea answered, "Right behind Castle Town itself."

"It's also home to the Royal Family's graveyard. Maybe it's because Kakariko is right beside Death Mountain?" Leah mused

As they continued chatting, they fell in line with the caravan. Link heard hushed whispers about him, though he tried to ignore it. He was going to have to get used to it, after all. As they rode, the sun began to fall over the mountains to their west, and an unknown scent began to reach Link. "What is that?" He asked.

"That would be dinner," Chea answered, "We're going to eat before heading into Kakariko. No need to waste rupees on what we can do ourselves."

"Why does it smell different from normal food?" Leah asked, though Link wanted to know too.

"It's called preparing your palette. The Hylian people cook differently than we do," Chea explained, "It helps accustom you to the odd tastes." She sniffed the air and added, "Ooh, I think we're going to have pumpkin soup!" Link and Leah nodded, unsure even what a 'pumpkin' was. But if she was excited, they figured it couldn't be too bad.

As it turned out, Link loved pumpkin soup. After the first few spoonfuls, he practically inhaled his bowl. Chea smacked his hand before he got seconds, admonishing him for eating so quickly. He made sure that when he got seconds, he ate slowly. As he finished, they came upon Kakariko. "Wow," he said, staring at the buildings and people.

"You can gawk tomorrow morning," Chea said, leading the way as they broke off from the caravan. "We need to check in at the inn." She took them down an alley, before turning into a stable where she dismounted, followed by Leah and Link.

They checked into the inn with a lady named Anju, who gave them their keys. Saying their good nights, each one went into their own rooms. Link took a quick look around, before heading to his bed and plopping down, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Link, surprisingly, was the first Gerudo awake. Discovering this, Link dashed out of the inn, running to discover what Kakariko had to offer. His first stop was at the stable, easily finding Epona, even in the near darkness of the pre dawn sky. He rubbed her mane affectionately, whispering, "I'll be back soon girl, I'm going to go look around." After slipping out, he began looking around for something to do. He happened to catch sight of a shadow, and decided to pursue it. He caught sight of a woman with average length hair, neatly tied back, except for a few long strands tied together, which lay to the side of her face. Judging by her clothing, she was a Sheikah.

He was consistently surprised that she hadn't noticed him, the Sheikah normally excelled at their stealthy nature. To be able to shadow one without them noticing was almost unknowable. She made her way into a small building, apparently a cafe of sorts. He rushed after her, but lost her inside the building, despite the few patrons up at this hour. Suddenly, he saw a strand of white hanging beside his face and he whirled around to see the Sheikah he had been tailing. "Almost, little king," she chuckled, "If I were less skilled, you might have only incited some paranoia."

"How did you? I mean, I saw you walk through the door!" Link claimed, desperately wishing to know how the Sheikah had given him the slip.

"Little king, a Sheikah knows every building they enter," she answered, "And I know all of Kakariko like the back of my own hand." Link blushed, and the Sheikah laughed, "Don't worry, everyone's a little curious about my tribe. Let's sit and talk."

The Sheikah led Link to a table, sitting across from him. He spoke first, "My name is Link, yours?"

"It's Impa, thank you," the Sheika responded. "You look awfully familiar Link... Your mother wouldn't happen to be Chea, would she?" Link nodded, and Impa grinned, and began speaking, "Ah, I thought so. Your mother and I were very good friends, you know."

"Were?" A voice called from underneath Link's tunic. He had almost forgotten the stone given to him by the Great Fairy. He reached underneath the tunic and pulled out the blue stone, which showed Chea herself staring out through it. "I thought you and I were still good friends."

"A gossip stone?" Impa asked aloud, before responding, "You know what I mean Chea. It's been some time since your last trading caravan."

"Because the last time I came home, my son had lost his eyebrows," Chea retorted, eliciting a giggle from an unseen source on the other end of the Gossip Stone, likely Leah.

Impa raised an eyebrow, casting an eye at Link, who blushed at the memory. "Come to the cafe and we can chat," implored the Sheikah, Chea nodding in agreement. Link ordered something for breakfast, as did Impa, and they ate in relative silence until both Chea and Leah showed up, the older nearly running to hug her old friend.

Impa and Chea, apparently, went way back, to when they themselves were teenagers. Link learned that, apparently, a loss of eyebrows due to an unfortunate event involving keese was genetic, and that Impa had been the one to show Chea how to cook when she learned the Gerudo was pregnant. Link would have to remember to thank her for that one. Eventually, after several embarrassing stories for mother and son, and a few for Impa, it was decided that the Sheikah would accompany them to meet the king of Hyrule.

"I actually worked as Princess Zelda's bodyguard for several years, until the king decided I should be one of his advisors," Impa said, "She's about the same age as you two, so don't worry when we sit you at the kids' table. You'll be in good company." Chea laughed at Impa's joke, and Link smiled at the joke. Leah, however, was doing her best to hide a blush. They left shortly after, their caravan short a few Gerudo who decided to stay in Kakariko for some reason or another. However, the void was filled with other groups, such as Hylians, Gorons, and Zoras. Link even saw a few Sheikah other than Impa. The group made directly for Castle Town, only stopping momentarily for lunch, some cooked fish. Link enjoyed it, though not as much as Pumpkin Soup.

When they finally made it to Castle Town, it was nearing sundown, and the last wagon made it through just as they began to close the gates. Impa lead their group, being the one to most intimately know Castle Town. With her at the helm, they quickly came to the castle itself, a guard waving them through. It wasn't long until he unmounted Epona, housing her in the royal stables near a few other horses.

He then followed Impa down an impressive hallway, lined with portraits of royalty and paintings of days long past. Many of the paintings depicted a character in green, his face never quite the same, nor his hair ever exactly the same shade. Sometimes, the boy in green was riding a bird, in others, a horse. In many more pictures though, it was battle. Battle against hordes of monsters, against demons, against dragons. The most common battle, however, was the Demon King. It was a common story, how the last Gerudo King became corrupted and turned into a monstrous beast. He looked away, the paintings pulling at his already tense nerves.

At the end of the hallway, there was a large set of double doors, made of a dark wood, bearing a picture of Hyrule's sacred relic. Impa pushed the doors apart, revealing Hyrule's court. There were Zora, Gorons, and Hylians sat around a large circular table. Many stared at the intruders, but only one man stood. "Greetings, Impa, please be seated," he said, before turning to the others, his gaze focused on Link. "You must be the King of the Gerudo I've heard about. Your coronation was just yesterday, I believe?"

"Yes," Link answered, "It was."

"I'm sorry I couldn't come to see it personally," the man said, "I would have very much enjoyed witnessing it, but alas, there were difficulties here at home. At any rate, I should introduce myself. I am Lord Mason Nohansen, King of Hyrule."


End file.
